An exceptionally strong storm, with violent winds and heavy snow, has hit southern Russia and the occupied regions of Ukraine, leaving nearly two million people without power. These extreme weather conditions are affecting the fighting on the front lines and have Ukraine fearing that Moscow will attack the country’s power grids during the winter.
The violent storm, which was called the “storm of the century” by Russian media, has hit southern Russia, the annexed Crimea region and several Ukrainian areas occupied by Russia, such as Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia or Kherson. HE reported at least four deaths due to weather conditions and nearly two million people would be without electricity, the Russian Ministry of Energy reported this Monday, November 27.
In Crimea, one of the worst affected regions, the Black Sea overflowed onto highways. The governor of the region, the Russian Sergei Aksionov, declared a state of emergency on Monday with a day of rest due to these floods.
“We have experienced a real ‘Armageddon’: the inhabitants do not remember ever having seen wind and waves of such power,” declared the president of the Crimean Parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, to the Russian television channel Rossia 24.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin received reports of “meteorological catastrophes” and declared that his government will take measures to help affected regions.
In Ukraine, a snowstorm forced the closure of dozens of highways and left more than 1,600 towns without electricity, especially in the center of kyiv and the south of the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, according to Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, press officer of the state emergency service. In the Odessa region, at least 13 injuries were reported.
Storm makes fighting in war zones difficult
In kyiv, residents surveyed by Reuters said they are not bothered by the harsh weather conditions, but they are worried about their soldiers.
“It’s just normal weather. The most important thing is to keep the guys warm in the trenches. We will survive here,” Veronika told the agency.
For her part, Anna, whose husband serves in the Army, tries to help soldiers survive the extreme weather conditions.
“I am a volunteer, we help the soldiers, we prepare hot meals, hot tea. We encourage them with our support. We give them everything we have. We support them with love. We always remind them that we are with them, that we love them and we wait for them. come back,” he explained to Reuters.
To deal with bad weather conditions on the front, fewer planes and more drones are being used. The attacks also include fewer motorized columns and more infantrymen.
Ukrainians fear that Moscow will take advantage of the winter to attack their power grids. On Saturday, November 25, the Ukrainian capital suffered the largest attack by Russian drones since the beginning of the war, as a result, several buildings were temporarily disconnected from the electrical grid. By 2022, massive Russian attacks on essential Ukrainian infrastructure had plunged millions of people into the cold and darkness.
Stoltenberg says Ukraine continues to inflict ‘heavy losses’ on Russia
The two countries are fighting some of the “most intense” fighting since the war began, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, explaining that Ukraine inflicts “heavy losses both in terms of soldiers and of combat capabilities” to Russia.
This statement comes at a time of uncertainty about Ukrainian advances since the beginning of its counteroffensive. Russia would be gaining ground in the Donbass while the Ukrainian advance in the Zaporizhia region was slowed down by the arrival of winter. In addition, some experts consider that kyiv lacks ammunition and powerful armor.
But according to the NATO leader, “although the front line has not moved,” Ukraine continues to fight “bravely.”
![NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during an interview with AFP at NATO headquarters in Brussels, November 27, 2023.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/e52b3428-8d51-11ee-a528-005056bfb2b6/000_34676TW.jpg)
“We have to distinguish between the fact that the front line is not moving significantly and the fact that very, very intense fighting is taking place,” he said.
“We continue to support the Ukrainian forces,” said Stoltenberg, noting that Germany and the Netherlands gave 10 billion euros in aid to Kiev, and their allies were sending more air defense systems to protect the population.
“Our responsibility is to support Ukraine and allow it to liberate as much territory as possible and put it in the best possible situation, if negotiations begin,” he concluded.
Lavrov affirms that Russia has no expansionist plans in Europe
In reaction to the statements of the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who assured that Russia “will not stop if it takes Ukraine”, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, affirmed this Monday that Russia does not have the will to expand in Europe.
“Russia does not have and has not had any aggressive intentions or expansionist plans (in Europe),” Lavrov said during the Primakov Readings discussion forum in Moscow.
He stated, however, that Moscow’s priority is not to improve its ties with Europe and that it must learn to “produce everything on its own” so as not to depend on its “whims”, however, he said that it does not “close the door” to the “sensible actors” of the continent.
The West is preparing the 12th package of sanctions against Russia, about which Lavrov said that these restrictions would not lead to the end of the war.
With EFE, AFP and Reuters
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